A shocking day in court. A mind-blowing discovery in space. It’s Thursday, and here are the 5 things you need to know to Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Dylann Roof
Emotions ran high in court as convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof spoke for the first time to the jury that will decide whether he lives or dies. Roof, who is representing himself during the penalty phase, said there’s nothing wrong with him psychologically. That was just too much for three people sitting in the section of the courtroom reserved for family and friends of the victims. They walked out as he spoke, with one man declaring, “this is all crap.” Prosecutors dropped a bombshell of their own — Roof’s jailhouse diary. In it Roof said he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done. “I do not regret what I did. I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed.”
2. Donald Trump
The President-elect may be looking to weaken the power of the Director of National Intelligence. This office was put together after 9/11 to coordinate intelligence between the various agencies. But Team Trump thinks that it’s become an unnecessary level of bureaucracy that gets in the way of the president and the 16 agencies it represents. Trump’s been really critical of the intelligence community lately, especially their claim that Russia hacked into the 2016 elections.
3. Facebook Live beating
How can people be so cruel? That’s just one of the questions that pop up as you watch a video, put on Facebook Live, of a group of black teens in Chicago brutalizing an 18-year-old white man with special needs. He’s tied up in a corner with his mouth covered as they beat him, taunt him and hurl racial slurs at him. They mix in Donald Trump’s name amid the insults. Which leads to another question. How is this not a hate crime? Police say they’re checking out that angle. The teens have been arrested.
4. Istanbul nightclub attack
The signs of violence are everywhere. Bullet holes in chairs. A blood-soaked wall. Women’s shoes all over the floor. CNN gained access to Reina, the club attacked by a terrorist gunman during New Year’s celebrations. Thirty-nine people were killed there in seven horrifying minutes. Lots of personal items, like purses, still remain in the upscale club and will probably never be retrieved because their owners didn’t make it out alive. Reina’s owner said he’s not sure if he’ll ever reopen.
5. Space
An incredibly rare Hoag-type galaxy has been found 359 million light-years from Earth. These type of galaxies usually have a single circular ring of stars surrounding a round core. They make up less than 0.1% of galaxies that we can observe. This one’s even more rare because it has two rings. So what does it all mean? We’re left with another mystery. Most galaxy rings aren’t symmetrical because of the effects of gravity from other galaxies. But this Hoag-type galaxy’s round core and ring defy that, and scientists don’t know why.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
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Packing heat
They say don’t mess with Texas. Guess the same goes for Texas grandmothers too, like the pistol-packing grandma who faced off with an armed intruder.
Moving on
We’re sure many parts of New Jersey are just wonderful, but that’s not enough for some of its residents. Jersey’s the most moved-from state in the US.
Dude, where’s my car?
A driver leaving a rock concert couldn’t remember where he parked a BMW. Police finally found it — six months later.
Paper thin
Get ready to toss out that Ultra 4K TV you just bought. The next big thing is a $10,000 screen that’s as thin as wallpaper.
NUMBER OF THE DAY
10,000
The number of jobs that will be lost when Macy’s closes 68 stores later this year.
AND FINALLY …
A little blush goes a long way
Need some makeup advice? There’s no one more qualified to give tips on that than a 2-year-old girl. (Click to view)